Skip shaker mechanism



March 15, 1949. D. c. JONES 2,464,235

SKIP SHAKER MECHANISM Filed Sept. 20, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. QM &

March 15, 1949. D. c. JONES SKIP SHAKER MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 Filed Sept. 20, 1945 INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 15, 1949 SKIP SHAKER MECHANISM Daniel C. Jones, Port Washington, Wis., assignor to Kwik-Mix Company, Port Washington, Wis.,

a corporation Application September 20, 1945, Serial No. 617,573

Claims. 1

This invention appertains particularly to improvements in concrete mixers of the type in which the mixing drum is charged by what is commonly known today as a charging skip. This skip is virtually a hopper pivoted at one end adjacent to the charging opening of the mixer drum and adapted to be raised and lowered from a position adjacent to the ground, raised when filled with dry concrete aggregates to be charged into the drum, and lowered for the purpose of again repeating a predetermined charge of such aggregates.

The invention hereof primarily relates to what are known in the art as skip shaking mechanisms for skips of the class above referred to. The skip shaking mechanism which has heretofore been employed is utilized for vibrating the skip bodily up and down relatively to its pivotal axis for the purpose of facilitating the flowing out of the skip of the materials which are emplaced therein and discharged from the skip when it is raised to a suitable discharging inclination.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, the common skip shaking instrumentalities employed were designed for shaking the skip bodily during the entire raising movement of the skip incident to its charging action. Obviously, during the greater part of said raising movement the materials in the skip flow freely therefrom as the skip reaches the discharging inclination.

It is therefore of no particular advantage to vibrate or shake the skip vertically until the end of its discharging movement, at which time some portions of the materials in the skip have the tendency to skip or clog at the skip outlet.

With the foregoing view therefore, my present invention embodies a design of skip shaking instrumentalities which act on the skip in such a manner that during the major portion of its upward charging movement the skip, then fully loaded, is not vibrated or shaken. But when the skip lightens so far as its carried load is concerned by reason of the discharge of the major portion of the materials therefrom, the shaking action is produced, the same taking place substantially at the end of the skip charging movement, at which time the shaking action is required, or desirable.

By reason of my improved construction of skip shaking device, the skip and its contained load are not shaken or vibrated, and stresses transmitted to the supporting means for the same,

incident to said shaking or vibration, while the skip is fully loaded and practically not until the skip reaches its final discharging position for chargin the mixing drum, at which time the vibrating or shaking action of the skip is produced.

An understanding of my invention will be had upon reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the annexed drawings, and in the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a common type of concrete mixer equipped with a skip embodying the shaker mech-' anism of my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in front elevation showing primarily the skip shaking instrumentalities alone as they are arranged in relation to the skip supporting shaft.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating the skip shaking devices as when the skip is not shaking, as distinguished from Figure 2 wherein the devices are in their positions assumed when the shaking of the skip is to be effected.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken about on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional View, fragmentary in nature, taken about on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Referring to my drawings above mentioned, it is notable that I have illustrated my invention in relation to a concrete mixer combination of skip and mixing drum. However, it is within the purview of my invention that the skip means shall be associated with vibrating or shaking instrumentalities used for loading any suitable receptacle or holding device, whether a mixer drum or hopper, or the like. In other words, my invention does not necessarily involve any particularkind of a receiver for the materialswhich are discharged from the skip.

In Figure 1 the loading skip is designated l and is of the conventional type which is pivoted to the frame 2 of a mixing machine by means of a pivot shaft 3. A portion of the drum 4 of the mixing machine is illustrated, and the skip l is of the usual type adapted to be raised and lowered by means of cables 5 extending over pulleys or Intermediate its ends the lever I is mounted by means of a pivot II on a box-like bracket I2 which is of somewhat U-form in horizontal sec tion, the upper ends of the sides of this bracket being provided with vertically elongated bearing openings or slots, receiving the pivot member ll of the lever I. At the end of the lever l' opposite that having the roller 8 is provided the spacer lever or abutment member I; which, in the position of Figure 2, engages a flat abutment part I3 on the bottom of the middle portion of the pivot shaft member 3 for the skip. The spacer member I2a in the position of Figure 2 is arranged to cooperate for shaking actionof the skip but this member I2 is pivoted to the lever I and may be adjusted to the dotted line position shown in Figure 3, at which time it is inoperative in relation to the skip pivot shaft, and no shaking action will be produced incident to pivotal movement of the lever 'I.

The bearing slots in the upper ends of the lever supporting member I2 are designated I4, As

previously indicated, the pivot member for lever I;

may move upwardly and downwardly in the elongated bearing openings I4 and for controlling the time or period of the shaking operation of the skip I so that the vibration of the latter is eifected only at the end of its pivotal charging movement, I provide a special resilient connection between the pivot member I I and the supporting standard or box I2 upon which the lever I is carried.

The resilient connection to which I refer above comprises upper toggle links I5, the upper ends of which are connected to the pivot member I I and the lower ends of which are pivotally connected to lower toggle links IS, the links I5 and I6 constituting a toggle unit or joint means between the lever I and the standard or box frame I2. The lower ends of the lower toggle links I6 are pivotally connected at I! to the sides of the member I2, and at the pivotally joined ends of the links [5 and I6 is connected a pull yoke I8 having a rod I9 projecting therefrom and threaded at its outer end to receive a nut 201 Between the nut 21] and the adjacent closed end portion of the hollow standard I2 is interposed a coiled spring 2I which is adjusted by means of the nut 20 so as normally to hold the toggle links of the toggle as to assume the position which is illustrated in, The manner of opera tion of the resilient connector associated with the- Figure 3 of the drawings.

lever I and comprising the toggle features just described, will now be set forth in the description of the operation of my invention.

Figure 3 shows the parts of my shaker mechanism as when the skip l is filled with materials: to be charged into some receptacle, and ascend ing to discharge its load. At such time the skip is most heavily loaded and the weight thereof with contained materials breaks the toggle lever I5I6 to the position substantially as shown in- In such positions of the parts, pivot shaft II is lowered Figure 3, comprising the spring 21.

4 bearing slots I4 and rotation of cam 9 merely causes pivot II of the lever I to move up and down, the lever fulcruming on the abutment I3 of the pivot shaft 3.

When the major portion of the material in the skip has passed from its charging end, the weight of the now partially loaded skip and contents lightens suiiiciently so that the spring 2 I elongates the toggle lever [5 which raises the pivot II of the shaker lever I to upper end of slot I4 and the action of the lever I operated by cam 9 is to rock on-the elevated pivot II to thereby shake or vibrate the pivot shaft 3 and skip I during the period of the reduced loading of the skip and while it is raised and empty,

The varying of the tension of spring 2I controls the time when the vibrating action of the skip I commences, governing the amount of load required in the skip, to render the toggle l5--IG operable for causing the vibrating function of the lever I. The pivot II is virtually floatingly mounted on the toggle lever It -I6. i

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In shaking mechanism for loading skips, in combination, a skip, a pivot shaft on which. the skip pivots to and from discharging position, bearing means for said shaft enabling up and down movement of the shaft to shake or vibrate the skip, a shaker lever coacting with the pivot shaft, means for rocking said lever to vibrate the. shaft in its bearings, and means including a floating pivot for the shaker lever to control shaking actuation of the skip pivot shaft thereby, and discontinue such actuation.

2. In combination, a supporting frame, a loads ing skip pivotally mounted thereon to move fromv material receiving to discharging positions, and, shaker mechanism for shaking the skip, comprising instrumentalities to maintain the skip against shaking during preliminary movement from its loaded receiving position, and to subsequently render the mechanism operative to shake theskip at a predetermined time during the discharging of the materials of the loaded skip, including a pivotal support for the skip, a supporting frame in which said pivotal support is vertically movable, a shaker lever arranged to engage at one end with said pivotal support, a pivot for the lever intermediate the ends of the latter, an actuator for the other end of the shaker lever, a frame member in which the shaker lever is pivoted having a vertically elongated bearing for the leverpivot, and a device for shifting the lever pivot in said elongated bearing operable by variation of the weight of the skip and its contents.

3. In shaking mechanism for loading skips, in combination, a skip, a pivot shaft on which the skip pivots to and from discharging position, bearing means for said shaft enabling up and down movement of the shaft to shake or vibrate the skip, a lever supporting member having vertically elongated bearing slots, a shaker lever having a pivot axis intermediate its endsmounted in said bearing slots and engaging at one end with the pivot shaft of the skip, means engaging the other end of the lever for rocking said lever to vibrate the shaft of the skip in its bearings, 'a' yieldable member connected with the pivot axis of said lever to prevent shaking of the skip pivot shaft when the skip is heavily loaded, during the rocking'of said lever, and an instru'mentality co-' operative with the yieldablemember to lift the pivotaxis of the lever in its bearing slots for 5 causing shaking of the skip during racking action of the lever when the load in the skip lightens to a predetermined extent.

4. In shaking mechanism for loading skips, in combination, a skip, a pivot shaft on which the skip pivots to and from discharging position, bearing means for said shaft enabling up and down movement of the shaft to shake or vibrate the skip, a shaker lever coacting with the pivot shaft, means for rocking said lever to vibrate the shaft in its bearings, and means to prevent shaking of the skip pivot shaft when the skip is heavily loaded and for causing such shaking when the load in the skip lightens to a predetermined extent, in which the last means comprises a resiliently controlled pivotal support for the shaker lever.

5. In shaking mechanism for loading skips, in combination, a skip, a pivot shaft on which the skip pivots to and from discharging position, bearing means for said shaft enabling up and down movement of the shaft to shake or vibrate the skip, a shaker lever coacting with the pivot shaft, means for rocking said lever to vibrate the shaft in its bearings, and means to prevent shaking of DANIEL C. JONES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,714,601 Jaeger May 28, 1929 1,742,420 Shafer et a1 Jan. 7, 1930 1,784,307 Nelson et al Dec. 9, 1930 1,996,209 Lichtenberg Apr. 2, 1935 2,176,893 Engleby Oct. 24, 1939 2,276,125 Vial] Mar. 10, 1942 

